The UGM-96 Trident I, or Trident C4, was an American submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM), built by Lockheed Martin Space Systems in Sunnyvale, California. First deployed in 1979, the Trident I replaced the Poseidon missile. It was retired in 2005, having been replaced by the Trident II.[2]
| UGM-96 Trident I (C4) | |
|---|---|
 The first launch of a Trident I with a drag-reducing aerospike, from Cape Canaveral, on 18 January 1977 | |
| Type | SLBM |
| Place of origin | United States |
| Service history | |
| In service | 1979 to 2005 |
| Used by | United States Navy |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Lockheed Missiles Division |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | 73,066 pounds (33,142 kg) |
| Length | 33 feet (10.2 m) |
| Diameter | 71 inches (1.8 m) |
| Warhead | Up to eight W76 warheads in Mark 4 RBs with a yield of 100 kilotonnes of TNT (420 TJ) each. |
| Engine | Solid-fuel rocket |
Operational range | 4,600 miles (7,400 km) |
Guidance system | Astro-inertial guidance |
| Accuracy | CEP: 229-500 m[1] |
Launch platform | Ballistic Missile Submarine |
The missile was a three-stage, solid-fuelled system, capable of carrying up to eight W76 warheads in the Mark 4 RB.
The first eight Ohio-class submarines were armed with Trident I missiles. Twelve James Madison- and Benjamin Franklin-class submarines were also retrofitted with Trident I missiles, which replaced older Poseidon missiles.
In 1980, the Royal Navy requested Trident I missiles under the Polaris Sales Agreement. In 1982, the agreement was changed to supply Trident II instead.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Matthew G. McKinzie; Thomas B. Cochran; Robert S. Norris; William M. Arkin. THE U.S. NUCLEAR WAR PLAN: A TIME FOR CHANGE (PDF) (Report). Natural Resources Defense Council. p. 19. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2021-07-31. Retrieved 2021-09-01.
- ^ Popejoy, Mary (November 5, 2005). "USS Alabama Offloads Last of C4 Trident Missiles". navy.mil. US Navy. Archived from the original on September 12, 2007. Retrieved May 16, 2012.
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